'Army Wives' Season 5, Episode 11 Recap

After so much conflict and drama in previous episodes, 'Army Wives' seemed due for a happy, content installment for the tribe. Alas, that was not to be. For one family, this may have been the calm before a storm.

For the Holdens, there was good news ... and bad news. Claudia Joy passed the bar, but there was no time for celebrating because Michael was passed over for that West Point promotion. That stung, although he's known for weeks that he was off the list. But then hearing that a former underling got the job instead was a kick in the keister.

Emmalin's return from college should have been a happy occasion, but it wasn't. You could tell almost instantly that there was something wrong. Emmalin wasn't the same kid who left for school last with a hockey scholarship and the world ahead of her. It took a while before she finally broke down and told Claudia Joy that she's failing ... classes, hockey, college life in general.

You can understand the pressure Emmalin's been feeling. Her father's a general; her mother's a lawyer. And her dead sister had been succeeding where Emmalin has not. Em came home withdrawn and dour, but she might as easily have arrived with drug or alcohol issues because she's clearly in trouble.

Alcohol will play a big role for Michael in the next episode because he was stopped for a traffic violation after an evening of commiserating with a former commander. Michael should have known better than to drink and drive, but he's feeling the weight of disappointment on his shoulders and it clouded his judgment.

Pamela might have let Michael pass without having him take a breathalyzer test but, in a case of timing is everything, Moran was being evaluated by Boone and had to follow the rules to the nth degree. Gen. Holden received no special treatment.

When Whitaker told Michael that he was on a roll, and not a good one, he wasn't joking. This possible DUI will be one more nail in his "Army life" coffin. Michael has already recognized that he has nowhere to go from three stars, but he's not sure what's next for him.

For Claudia Joy, Emmalin and Michael's issues are bound to become her focus, which will mean the law career is not going to be shifting into high gear.

Denise, on the other hand, may be getting back to work at Mercer. After the accident at the drop zone, Denise's quick work with a soldier who'd been hurt underscored that she's meant to be in service. Molly's mommy belongs back in nursing.

Another positive from the negative jump accident was Frank sizing up Trevor for Officer Candidate School. While this was a nice development, I have to wonder if Frank really would have been so pro-Trevor after last week when he chewed him out for being on punishment. I guess we're supposed to assume it's been weeks since then ...

David said his goodbyes to the foster care facility so he could move in with the Burtons, the last step in the adoption process. When Roland shared the news with the tribe, including the boy's HIV-positive status, I was glad that nobody worried about letting his or her kids play with David. They were all very sensitive to the issue and accepting. But there was a problem in the David story that was somewhat unexpected.

The child was more comfortable with Roland than Joan. No matter how Joan tried, David couldn't warm to her. Is this going to be a problem that will mess up his adoption? I don't think so. I anticipate that somewhere in the next couple of episodes, David will discover that he likes Joan after all. Tonight was just a set up for a later bonding moment.

As mentioned above, Pamela was paired with Boone again, and once they got passed the awkwardness of her remarriage, a new issue cropped up between them. Her name was Lisa, and she's a bimbo who's bilking Boone of his money and moving into his house. Pamela really shouldn't care, but she does. It may be a good thing that Chase is away on training missions.